PopSugar CEO Says VR Is Overhyped, and Self-Driving Cars Will Scale

CES vet Brian Sugar shares thoughts from show floor

Brian Sugar, co-founder and CEO of PopSugar, has spent the past 16 years attending CES and has seen a lot of tech come and go. So when he feels the pace of innovation around things like artificial intelligence and self-driving cars has never been more intense, you should probably take note.

"We've been migrating away from a consumers electronics show to something more like The Jetsons," said Sugar, adding, "We're really starting to see things in the future that are going to happen."

Sugar, a self-declared car guy, was particularly bullish on the advances in electric and self-driving cars, which he's increasingly seeing on the streets of San Francisco and which he believes will scale "way faster" than most people think.

As for the overhyped, Sugar took a humorous jab at virtual reality and the legions of conventiongoers ensconced in headsets flailing around on the show floor. "If virtual reality is so good, why do we even have to be here," he quipped. "This might be my last CES. Next year, I'm just going to send my robot."

But overall, the pace of change is staggering, and Sugar said brand marketers are going to have to get comfortable with the pace to remain top of mind with consumers and audiences. "Buckle up for a really fast ride," he said. "It's going to be fun."